DIY: American Cheese

I love Gruyere, Brie and all of those fancy cheeses just as much as the next person, but there will always be a special little place in my taste buds for American cheese. As most kids do around these parts, I grew up on grilled cheese sandwiches that were made with smooth, creamy, and super-melty American cheese. By and large, any lunchmeat-and-cheese sandwich I ate included American cheese. To this day, I adore a bologna and American cheese sandwich with mayonnaise and sliced tomato on fresh Italian bread. Some flavors just can’t be replaced, and American cheese is one of them for me.

American cheese is a “processed cheese”, which means that it’s a cheese that started as another already-made cheese and is then further modified to make it creamier and more melt-y (for lack of a better word). What I didn’t realize, however, is that this is how American cheese was traditionally made, usually starting with Colby or Cheddar; however, now it typically doesn’t even start with real cheese. What?! The ingredient list is compiled of things like milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate and salt. A little less appetizing, right? I can’t tell you how thrilled I was when I saw American Cheese in the list of recipes in the new DIY Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen (the same book that produced the homemade torrone) – I immediately bookmarked it and planned to make it after the holidays. Thus, here we are!

I was seriously stunned when I realized how incredibly easy it was to create my own American cheese, right there in my kitchen, in less than 15 minutes! The process begins with Colby cheese, then some dry milk powder, whole milk and gelatin are added to the mix (be sure to see the note below on dry milk powder). The combination gives the cheese that super creamy texture, as well as the properties it needs to melt exceptionally well.

The ability to melt supremely well is very important when it comes to such things as grilled cheese sandwiches. Very important. This cheese passed the test with flying colors. I’ll definitely be keeping a block of it in the refrigerator at all times!

Directions:

1. Line a 5x4-inch disposable aluminum loaf pan with plastic wrap, using enough so that excess hangs over the sides.

2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small cup and let sit until the gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, pulse together the shredded cheese, dry milk powder, salt and cream of tartar in a food processor until combined, about 3 pulses.

4. Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the softened gelatin until it is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

5. Turn the food processor on so it is running, then slowly add the hot milk mixture to the cheese mixture until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down the bowl as needed.

6. Immediately transfer the cheese to the prepared pan. Working quickly, pack the cheese firmly into the loaf pan to eliminate most air pockets, then smooth the top. Fold the overhanging plastic tightly against the surface of the cheese and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. The cheese can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 1 month.

Recipe Notes:

Note: Be sure to use whole dry milk powder, not nonfat dry milk powder, as it will make a difference. I purchased my whole dry milk powder from King Arthur Flour.

No less appetizing than cream of tartar and gelatin… I’d probably take the former over the later, to be honest… At least everything you listed from the commercial product is derived from, you know, *milk.*

I would much rather eat those ingredients than what is REALLY in fake cheese. If you eat meat or fish you have already eaten worse since a lot of fancy cuts contain something called “meat glue.” Cream of tartar is a byproduct of the winemaking process as the powder forms inside wine barrels during fermentation. It comes from tartaric acid, a naturally occurring substance in grapes and some other tart fruits that in the principle acid in winemaking. Gelatin (or gelatine, from Latin: gelatus = stiff, frozen) is a translucent, colorless, brittle (when dry), flavorless solid substance, derived from collagen obtained from various animal by-products. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar way are called gelatinous. Gelatin is an irreversibly hydrolysed form of collagen, and is classified as a foodstuff. It is found in most gummy candies as well as other products such as marshmallows, gelatin dessert, and some ice cream, dip and yogurt. Today’s American cheese is generally no longer made from blended cheeses, but instead is manufactured from a set of ingredients[1] such as milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and salt. In the United States,[2] it may not be legally sold as “cheese”, and must be labeled as “processed cheese”, “cheese product”, or similar—e.g., “cheese food”. At times even the word “cheese” is missing in the name on the label, e.g. “American slices” or “American singles”. Processed cheese, process cheese, cheese slice, prepared cheese, cheese singles or cheese food is a food product made from normal cheese and sometimes other unfermented dairy ingredients, plus emulsifiers, extra salt, food colorings, or whey. Today’s American cheese is generally no longer made from blended cheeses, but instead is manufactured from a set of ingredients[1] such as milk, whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and salt. In the United States,[2] it may not be legally sold as “cheese”, and must be labeled as “processed cheese”, “cheese product”, or similar—e.g., “cheese food”. At times even the word “cheese” is missing in the name on the label, e.g. “American slices” or “American singles”. Processed cheese, process cheese, cheese slice, prepared cheese, cheese singles or cheese food is a food product made from normal cheese and sometimes other unfermented dairy ingredients, plus emulsifiers, extra salt, food colorings, or whey.

There is nothing quite as perfectly melty as American cheese, however I’ve been avoiding it lately because it seems like it’s always very processed and artificial – I can’t be sure what’s in it. I had NO idea it could be made from scratch! I’ll definitely try this out soon (pinning it now).

Your comment about Kraft singles coudn’t be more wrong. I wouldn’t eat Kraft PROCESSED American cheese (they used to more accurately lable represent it as “cheesefood”. Don’t you realize that’s the processed junk that we are trying to avoid that caused us to look for a recipe to make our own American cheese?

I’m an American living in Holland. While we have access to some of the world’s most amazing cheese here, I missed Velveeta for some recipes like mac &cheese. I stumbled across this recipe too a while back & can vouch for how delicious it is. I ususlly make a double batch & freeze it in portioned blocks. Works great! Now I just need to figure out how to make cheese curd. We had some in Wisconsin on vacations last year. That was so good!

Caroline, I attended a class at The Mozarella Company in Dallas, TX a few years ago, and we made cheese curd as a precursor to making Mozarella. I think it was whole milk and lemon juice simmered and strained through cheesecloth; however, it has been quite a while and I don’t have the recipe. You might contact Paula Lambert at the Mozarella Company for the recipe. She teaches classes, but you’re a bit far away for that to be convenient. Good luck!

Caroline, I am an American living in Germany and want to try this recipe. But it calls for Colby cheese which is not available here. Which cheese did you use? Also, is there a reason to use a disposable pan? I don’t know if I can find them here.

Hi. I love to eat a grilled cheese sandwich once in a while, but where i live i can only find white processed cheese and it just isn’t the same thing. I never would have thought it could be done at home. I can’t wait to try this recipe. Is there a substitute for the cream of tartar because i could never find it, or could i just leave it out? Thank you for all the DIY recipes! I love them!

Hi Teresa, As Becca mentioned, it is found in the spice/baking aisle in most grocery stores. If you can’t find it, I think it would be okay to omit it, as the recipe states that it gives the cheese a little bit of a tangy flavor.

Thank you both for answering. I live in Spain and I already looked for it at the grocery store for other recipes and never found it, so I always leave it out. But I did some research today and I found out I can buy it at the pharmacy (??)

OMG! You are so right! I just started making cheese – if you are a beginner start with mozzarella it’s very easy – but then I had started to wonder about American cheese. I know it’s not “sophisticated” and definitely not ‘artisinal’ – don’t care. I love it. Cannot wait to try this recipe – tomorrow for sure.

Yay! I love my American cheese grilled cheese sandwiches, but I’ve given them up the last year or so. To me the cheese that I normally used had an oily – like petroleum oily – taste to it. This looks so easy when you do it, but we’ll have to see what kind of mess I make. :) Thank you!

I could almost hear Christopher Kimball’s voice in this post. I’ve heard him talk fondly about American Cheese on the shows and then when I saw it was adapted from the Test Kitchen cookbook, I wasn’t surprised…and you make it look so easy!